The Sweetest Taboo
by Midori-Sensei
Summary: Together, we are breaking two rules. One of social standing. The other, punishable by death. But despite this... You are still my sweetest taboo. Alice/Bella  On a short break! I'll get back to ya'll!
1. I

Author's Notes:

Let's hope for the best, shall we?

(Yes, I realize that I'm just spitting these fics out. Don't worry, this and S.S, are the only ones I plan on working on. Until they're done, that is.)

Disclaimer: I wouldn't even want to be her. :\ (or own Twilight, no matter how much money it would get me)

* * *

Bella was never the "friendly" type, nor did she ever consider herself to be "popular". When she was little, she was always the only kid in class who didn't know how to tie their shoes; or who was too afraid to leap into a swinging jump rope. It wasn't that she was easily frightened; it was just in her nature. So when high school began, and she realized that she was lacking in the friend department, she decided to try to obtain them by different means. Social interactions were more of a weak point for her, so perhaps the cyber world would suit her better.

Registering under the name of "Wanderer", the main character in a book she had recently read, she joined the world of internet chatting! Optional excitement aside, it wasn't as glamorous as she thought it would be. Then again, she hadn't set her hopes too high.

Scanning over a welcome email sent by an admin, she opened a chat, simply labeled: "…hi."

She was a slightly nervous person, one to occasionally stutter and nip on her own lip, so why lie on the internet about that? Besides, she was looking for friends, and future friends had ought to know these things about her. Glancing at the bolded topic title once more, the brunette thought that perhaps it gave her more of an "anti-social outcast who is currently being forced into speaking" look instead. Well, that's not very far from the truth anyway.

After a minute of waiting for a reply, the teen sighed and removed the laptop from her lap to open a window. The Arizona heat was suffocating without a little breeze every now and then. Avoiding the cacti on the windowsill this time, and briefly remembering a time when she did not, she lifted the window upwards, and a light, but still humid, gust of wind blew her auburn locks backwards.

Eyes closed, she leaned against the opening and took a relaxed breath. This was nice. This was home.

An odd ringing sound suddenly made her jump, effectively causing her head to ram into the top of the window. Wincing, and wiping a small tear from her eye, she approached her laptop cautiously. A tab was flashing orange and saying "a stranger has contacted you".

To be honest, it sounded creepy, and made her have second thoughts. But she clicked on it anyway.

**Tiny_Dancer: **_Hello to you too!_

Tiny…dancer? Well… She… Or, well, they could be a he… Sounded nice enough. Or as nice as one can be judging on words alone.

**Wanderer: **_Oh. I'm…sorry, I'm not; I've never done this before._

She admitted, with a slight blush on her face. This person must think she's been hiding under a rock for the last couple of years. Bella just didn't like jumping on the bandwagon, is all.

**Tiny_Dancer: **_It's perfectly understandable. I'm not usually one for these types of things either._

Being the literate type, Bella refrained from using abbreviations, and was pleased to see that the other was the same.

**Wanderer: **_Really? So then…why are you here? If you don't mind me asking, that is._

**Tiny_Dancer: **_X3 Not at all. My parents don't exactly want me to have friends._

**Wanderer: **_What, are you crazy or something? _

She playfully joked, hoping that the other caught on to it.

**Tiny_Dancer: **_Aren't we all? ;3_

Bella smiled at that. She…he… They were clever.

**Tiny_Dancer: **_Oh, I'm Alice by the way._

Ah, a girl.

**Wanderer: **_Bella._

**Tiny_Dancer: **_What a pretty name! ^ ^_

**Wanderer: **_Oh, uh, thanks._

That's what started it all. Within a month of everyday conversations, they knew all kinds of things about each other. Likes, dislikes, hobbies, habits, etc. Turns out that Alice was from Washington, just like her father. Quite the stark contrast from her home in Arizona. But this piece of information was soon forgotten. In two months, they were swapping pictures.

**Wanderer: **_This is…you? In front of…a yellow Porsche?_

**Tiny_Dancer: **_It was a gift from my dad. She's my little baby. 3_

It would have been a lie if Bella said that she had pictured Alice like the girl in the photo. No, she was much more amazing than her imagination could ever piece together. Leaning against her canary yellow car, clad in a silver scarf, pink gloves, black boots, and a skiing outfit, stood Tiny Dancer. A beanie pushed down short raven locks, but she could tell that her hair was usually kept in an almost bed head state. A bright smile was on her face, as though she couldn't be any happier about the snow falling around her.

**Wanderer: **_You're beautiful. ^///^_

While at first, such blunt statements would never be typed, she felt comfortable enough to tell Alice exactly what was on her mind.

**Tiny_Dancer: **_Why thank you, Bella! I quite like your looks as well. ;3_

The brunette fought off a blush in vain as she recalled the picture she had lazily taken for her. She was squinting and trying to look away from the blazing sun, yet also focus on the camera at the same time. She was sporting a loose jacket that dangled over a pair of shorts. The sleeves were rolled up, and she looked very hot, in a more literal sense. But it was worth it to know that it pleased her friend.

Within five months of their meeting, Bella saved up her money to buy a webcam. She had to admit that yes, setting it up proved to be rather difficult. She wasn't very tech savvy, and neither was her mother for that matter. Then again, she was becoming increasingly busy hanging around Phil and wouldn't have the time to help if she could. And Bella understood that. There were no hard feelings whatsoever.

"I can't hear you!"

The disgruntled teen shouted at the small camera, that which caused an amused grin to spread across her friend's face. They were both well aware that she had installed it wrong.

'I'll call you' rosy lips mouthed before their owner turned away. Being unable to read lips, Bella hadn't caught the message, and despite her knowing better, she felt a little offended, and saddened, by her quick departure.

But when her phone rang, the ringtone that of a piano playing, she brightened once more.

"…hello?"

She answered as though unsure if Alice would be on the other line.

"Silly Bella, I should've known you'd have trouble with this. Let's start simply, shall we? Where is the manual?"

"I… I may have thrown it out."

She confessed while looking through the small box that the webcam once resided. It was nothing but Styrofoam and papers suggesting similar items up for purchase.

"Oh dear. Well! There's always a time for a little experimenting! Plug all of the wires in at once!"

Bella removed the phone from her ear to stare down at it incredulously before rolling her eyes and glancing at the screen.

"That's ridiculous, Alice."

"I was jesting, Bella! The USB wire, the one with an odd symbol that looks like a root, goes into a socket on the left side of the computer. Oh, and be sure to turn on the volume too."

She giggled while winking at the brunette, which caused a faint blush to explode onto her cheeks. That's right, the volume…

All in all, they were close. The closest Bella had ever been with anyone besides her mom; and to be honest, that was kind of sad. But because it was her first friendship, she knew that it was sincere.

Unfortunately, no matter how true the friendship was, it had slipped her mind to alert Alice about her moving. It didn't seem to be important, and in reality, Bella didn't really find the move to be very life-changing or anything of the sort. She was apathetic about it all.

So while killing time on the flight, she had never once considered, or even remembered, that Alice happened to live in the same state. It never crossed her mind, something as insignificant as that.

But then again, Alice would find out by other means.

"Yes!"

The little pixie jumped into the air, her fist pointing upwards. A large grin was on her face as her mind processed the vision she had just had. Bella was moving to Forks.

It couldn't get any better!

It…couldn't…get any…

She froze.

There is no interacting with humans. That was why she had stuck to an online relationship in the first place.

She took to pacing quickly, moving from the left to the right side of her room, back and forth. So caught up in her own thoughts she was, that she did not hear Jasper slipping into her domain.

"…are you alright?" His voice was soft and cautious, as though he was worried about both saying the wrong thing, and getting a negative reaction from her. But he knew better. Alice was upbeat and outgoing. She didn't snap at people; especially at family.

"Of course I am, Jasper." She answered quickly, but with a tone that asked not to question any further.

"You're emotions are all over the place." He pressed further, his intentions only good. The tall and skinny teen ran his hand through his wavy blonde locks nervously as his yellow tinted eyes met her matching pair.

"We'll deal with things when the time comes." Alice spoke, but it seemed as though she was mainly speaking to herself. She nodded in agreement to her words, and flashed him a smile. Yes. She'll deal with things when the time comes.

Tomorrow it is then.

* * *

Author's Notes:

Chapter Two: School with the Cullens.


	2. II

Author's Notes:

Oh wow!

I'm glad to see that people enjoy this so far.

But…

I wouldn't get too caught up with the plot you're seeing.

Things may or may not get a little crazy.

You can't guarantee that everything will go just chipper in Forks, now can you? It's not one big fluff fest up north. I know, I used to live near there. (Bremerton, WA. A few hours away. Personally, if you want to visit Forks, visit La Push instead. It's not a block or two town, it's a bunch of badass little shacks across the beach, a hiking trip into the thick forest, and has cold as hell shores. Worth it, I'd say.)

I'm going to be an ass for a second and ask that you also check out Shattering Sunrise, because I have the story done for that one (as in, I've written out how every chapter will go). This one, I've got most of the chapters thought out. Not the ending though. Gotta work on that.

Oh and I hope you enjoy my writing style in this. I wrote it as though I was speaking to you directly. In short, it has a lot of voice. (you can tell when I start getting into storyteller mode)

Disclaimer: NO YOU.

* * *

The atmosphere was peaceful, if not mildly awkward. Bella couldn't remember the last time she had seen her father, Charlie, and that was bound to cause some sort of gap in their relationship. As predicted, it did, but it was certainly fixable.

Chocolate colored eyes watched the rain fall with an amused glint in them, seeing which drop would reach the bottom of the window before the others. The light tapping sound was the only noise in the police cruiser, and it was kind of nice. Sure, she felt a little bad for missing out on having Charlie in her life for the past who knows how many years, but she had time now. The least she could do was make things comfortable between them.

Chief Swan, on the other hand, viewed things a little differently. Yes, he was happy to have his Bella with him now, but there were several problems. One, he hardly knew anything about her; as unfortunate as that was. Two, he wasn't educated on the teenage psyche. Three, he could hardly take care of himself, let alone a dependant seventeen year old girl. He grunted in concentration before running his calloused hand through his bushy black hair. This was not going to be easy.

"Hey Cha- …Dad?"

He perked up quickly, mildly taken off guard at her voice. His eyes flickered to her once, then back on the road, needing to be a good role model on proper driving.

"Yeah, Bells?"

Oh god, what would she ask? Did she need tampons?

"Thanks for letting me stay with you."

A smile tugged at his lips at her statement.

"Not a problem."

Things would go just fine.

. . . . . . .

To say that the monster of a truck in the driveway surprised her would be an understatement. She was certain that she was gaping. This…thing…was hers?

Okay, yes, the thing was hideous.

But it was hers, and she loved it. Mainly because it was something that she could call her own, but hey, it's the thought that counts.

As she peered through the window, she happened to notice one small, almost insignificant, dilemma. The cherry red vehicle was a stick-shift. She didn't know how to operate that.

"Uh, Charlie…"

"Yeah, Bells?" His voice was strained, for he was carrying her luggage and trying to see over the top of the highest bag in his arms.

"…I don't know how to drive this." She deadpanned while fidgeting lightly. Bella didn't want to hurt his feelings, for he was being very considerate to get her a car, but there was no use in hiding her incapability.

"…Oh. I thought… I thought all the kids knew how to drive stick-shift these days." The chief mumbled under his breath as he made it up the steps leading to the front porch, his daughter following a few steps behind.

"…I wouldn't say _all_."

"Well, I'll have Jacob drop by and teach you. Remember? The boy from La Push? Long hair, about ye high?" He spoke as he gently dropped the luggage, then put his hand up a little past his hip, to show how tall this Jacob was at the time.

She nodded quickly, even though she couldn't really remember. The only thing she could recall regarding a Jacob, was her sitting on a boogie board when she was seven, and a boy pulling her along the shore of a beach.

"Does this weekend sound good?"

"Yeah, that's fine."

He hummed a reply and retreated into the living room, where he would more than likely spend the remainder of the day. There was without a doubt some sport playing that he would be interested in.

With a sigh, Bella dragged her feet up the stairs, counting how many steps it took.

Left foot.

Right foot.

Left foot.

Right foot.

Left foot.

Right foot.

"This is pathetic…" She mumbled to herself as she finished the trek, shoving her hands into her pockets and making a sharp turn to the right, remembering where her old room was.

Upon opening the door, she was greeted with drawings she had doodled over the years taped to the walls, old bottles she had collected, rainbow sheets thrown upon her bed, and assorted children's books. Yes, it had most certainly been a long time. She groaned lightly and ran her hand through her hair, moving the curtain of locks from her eyes so that she could get to work. This would take a while.

. . . . . . .

When Charlie had come to check on her, she was asleep on the bed, eagle spread, with rolls of tape and posters around her. He merely shook his head in amusement and turned off the light.

. . . . . . .

…there it is again. Was she hearing correctly? It sounded like… A faint… Beeping?

She closed her eyes tighter, and pulled the comforter she had crawled under at one point in the night, closer against herself with a mumble. Ignoring the sound of tape and papers falling to the floor, she focused on that other sound. What is that noise? It's certainly not natural.

Peeking one eye open, she glanced at the clock, which read five forty five and was blinking in an obnoxious shade of red. That can't be correct. Why would the alarm be going off at- Oh.

Bella sat up and combed her fingers through her hair briefly before shifting to move out of bed. Looking down, she realized that she was still dressed in the same clothes as yesterday. Taking a whiff of her jacket sleeve told her that she didn't smell per say, but a bath would still be in order.

She was certain that the rest of her day would be spent in a lethargic attitude, before she came to the realization that she was going to a new school that morning. She would be the new kid in a tiny high school, in a small town, where word travels. Fantastic.

Slipping into the shower, she applied her strawberry scented shampoo/body wash, a look on her face that just screamed "I want to get this over with". Dragging the warm, soapy washcloth over her curves, she began thinking the answers to questions she'd surely hear. Don't get her wrong, it's not vanity. The last couple of times she had been there, people bombarded her with personal queries. She just needed to prepare herself.

Where are you from?

_Phoenix. _

You're Chief Swan's daughter, right?

_Right._

Why did you move here?

…_Uh… Hasn't class started?_

She shook her head at her mental response, sending water along the shower wall and curtain. With a sigh, she turned off the shower and reached out to snatch the towel. Her hand grabbed at air for a few seconds before she bothered to check where it was. There was only one, light gray and slightly ripped rag-like towel. Well that was strange. Shouldn't this be her own bathroom?

That was when she took the time to actually observe the place. A bar of Irish Spring, that which had hair on it, was sliding along the bath floor, and she quickly moved out of the way with a disgusted shiver. A shaver lay at the edge, along with the cream, and she had come very close to toppling over on them. That would not have gone well.

With a gulp, she crept out of the tub and stood on the mat provided. Glancing about, she opened the door by an inch.

"…Charlie?"

"Uh?"

Came the answer, from surprisingly, not too far away.

Oh god, this was going to be awkward.

"…I need a towel. Can you, uh, get me one?"

Silence followed for a brief moment before the sound of socks shuffling across floorboards. In his head, Charlie kept chanting 'please don't let me see anything, please don't let me see anything' as he got a fresh blue towel from the laundry room and made his way to the single bathroom.

Bella could hear his sigh in relief when he saw only a crack in the door and not his naked daughter. He slipped his hand, along with the towel, through the small space, and she eagerly took it.

"Thanks."

He simply grunted as he made his way back to his room.

Once happily dried off and well dressed in her jeans and hoodie of choice, she tied her shoes and made her way to the living room. That's when another problem presented itself.

"Hey Dad?" This back and forth between calling him 'Dad' and 'Charlie' was slowly irritating her, but she figured that she'd continue it until he corrected her.

"Yeah, Bells?" He spoke with a spoon full of Frosted Flakes in his mouth as he slouched before the television screen.

"How am I getting to school?"

There was a long pause, and the sound of cereal being swallowed, before the man answered. "Oh. That's right. I guess I'll ah, drive you there."

"…in the cruiser?"

"Uhuh."

Fun stuff.

After passing on breakfast, Charlie finished his cereal and led her outside to his police cruiser. With a disgruntled expression, she climbed in, backpack in tow. The drive was short, and she made sure to pay attention on how to get there when she learned how to drive her car.

As they pulled into the parking lot, she tried her best not to take notice of all of the stares she was receiving. People would look her way, then quickly turn to their peers and mutter something amongst themselves. She sighed at this as she slipped out of the vehicle.

"Thanks."

"Have a nice day, Bells."

They waved, and the moment his car was gone, people started to approach her. She moved onward though, determined not to let them bring her down. Unfortunately, some were stubborn.

"Isabella, right?"

A loud voice spoke, causing her to flinch. She turned to see a blonde boy, with kiddish features and blue eyes that danced in mirth. He looked to be the annoying type.

"I prefer Bella." The disheveled teen spoke as she kept up the pace, both seeing if he'd still be willing to catch up, and trying to escape.

"I'm Mike! It's great to meet you!" And from there on, she omitted his words, focusing only on the numbers above the rooms and trying to find her math class.

Math for first period was a sign. A bad one. An omen, if you will.

Trying to break away from Mike proved to be a worthless endeavor, and due to his prolonged goodbye, that which she thought only occurred in phone conversations, she was late to class. So when she finally made it into Algebra/Geometry 2B, all eyes were on her.

She took the seat in the far back, hoping to be unnoticed, but the eyes still followed. Glancing at her classmates, she noticed one person that she would consider…off. There was a large man, not boy, not teen, but man sitting in the front row. His shoulders had to be the size of a small desk, and his tight white tee looked like _it_ was suffocating instead of him. He had short black hair that looked like it was growing out from a buzz cut. Bella knew that if she could see his face, it would be in a stony mask of… masculinity.

The class was surprisingly easy, and for a moment, Bella wondered if she was put into the wrong level. Yes, she considered herself to be decent, maybe a little smarter than some, in school. But not this good. Maybe she was just in the mood to learn, or something as equally cheesy.

Looking at her schedule, she noted that she had P.E next. Something was going to go wrong, she was absolutely certain of it. After she had paid for and dressed out in her uniform, and saw that the volleyball net was up, she had a looming feeling that she would be meeting the gym tiles any minute.

As she warily positioned herself amongst the other girls, she mentally prepared herself for the future damage. _'Maybe you'll be able to skip out on a class. Yeah. That'd be nice.'_

Unfortunately, while she was busy being a space cadet, she missed seeing the ball rushing towards her until someone shouted her name. She managed to poorly smack it in time, but it ended up bouncing off of the net and hitting her on the head. As she had predicted, she landed on the floor, and promptly slipped into unconsciousness.

To make things worse, she woke up in time for third period. Sporting an icepac, she forced herself to English class. Taking the only seat left, she made herself comfortable next to Aphrodite. Despite having the face of a goddess, she wore an expression of complete disgust as she eyed Bella. Normally this would bother her more, but she was injured, and annoyed, so she merely sighed. As awkward as it was, she could feel that woman's glare on her through the whole class and was beyond relieved when the bell rang. She just so happened to be starving at the time.

Because she was trying her best to appear standoffish, people were slowly beginning to leave her alone. As she moved along the lunchline, without a single word headed her way, she piled food onto her plate, a little more eager than usual. Just as she was lifting her tray to move to the empty table to the far right, she noticed a group of people strolling into the cafeteria.

She picked out the tall, ripped man as the one from her math class and the blonde in his embrace as the bitch from English. She silently took back the bitch title once she took in their expressions. They were passionately in love.

Following closely behind them was a stoic looking blonde who seemed to be related to the previous girl. He stood proud and walked with perfect posture. Next to him was an odd one. His hair was… indescribable. Picture every photo you've seen of Einstein.

Are you picturing it?

Well dye his hair a mixture of red and orange and add gel to make it look shiny and matted. That was what was on this boy's head. And judging by his facial expression, he thought he was well… the shit. He wore a crooked grin as he strode into the room, glancing at all of the women. She was unimpressed.

Just as she was turning to look away, _she _walked in.

The tray slipped from her fingers effortlessly.

Golden eyes met hers immediately.

Her breath hitched and there was no stopping the smile that came on to her face. In fact, she felt as though she was even tearing up a little.

"Alice."

The moment her name left her lips, the pixie had practically danced her way over to her and pulled her into the tightest hug she had ever felt. She stood perfectly still at first, quite surprised by the action, before falling into the embrace, and hugging her with as much force as she could.

"Alice." She said again, her voice filled with immeasurable joy. She was here. Her friend was here.

They parted slowly, and Bella was almost taken back by the amount of passion in her gaze.

"Welcome to Forks, Bella."

* * *

Author's Notes:

Yup, I had fun with this one.

-nods-


	3. III

Author's Notes:

Oh my, I am loving all of the support here.

Really, I am just as giddy as can be.

Thanks for reading and alerting, and all that fun shiz.

Oh. And I'd love to let you all know:

My vampires are more animalistic than anything.

They will growl when they are angry or aroused.

They will purr when delighted.

They will whimper and whine when sad or hurt.

It's more interesting that way.

Disclaimer: NO YOU.

* * *

Bella had always considered herself to be asexual. People didn't stir up wild, hormone-induced teenage feelings in her. Hell, she spent most of her social life in an apathetic state. But she had a personality! She did! She just…she just has a hard time showing it. But back to the main point: Bella didn't look at people with a sexual subtext. It wasn't in her nature. Despite this, she couldn't help but take notice of Alice.

Biting back a grin, Bella took in her appearance, noticing that Alice was doing the same. She was so short, and in a way, it kind of suited her. Is that mean to say? She was petite, and had child-like features scattered here and there, but her mature beauty overshadowed them.

And, as previously mentioned, there was no denying Tiny Dancer's looks. In layman's terms… she had it going on. The brunette ignored her blush as she realized that she was blatantly checking her only, and beloved, friend out. She was getting a good look at her. That was all. No denial; no trying to lie to herself. She had never seen Alice in person, and there was quite a difference between a webcam's blurred vision, and the person before her.

Gorgeous.

Simply gorgeous.

Was she the only one noticing this?

Alice looked around, and yes, eyes were on them, but with a curious gaze, not a lust-filled one. Her brows furrowed in confusion at this. Humans were so strange. Could they not understand this captivating creature amongst them? Why weren't they building some kind of Greek monument after her? Sure, she wasn't the prettiest girl Alice had ever seen, but hot damn. Hot damn!

Breaking off from that irritating train of thought, the vampire pulled Bella into her embrace once more, but with more gentleness this time. She had noticed Bella shrinking into her grasp due to her crushing grip last time, and to be honest, she felt a little ashamed. It clearly showed how long it had been since she had last touched a human.

Alice closed her eyes, just letting herself drift instead of thinking such things.

Mmm, she was warm.

So soft, too.

And-

'_Oh my.'_

Moving onto her tippy toes, Alice buried her face into the wavy auburn mane, taking a deep inhale of her natural scent, completely oblivious to the strawberry shampoo. She felt her eyelids flutter and her canines throb as she began to nuzzle her. Oh god, it was so good. That smell, her velvety locks…

'_Move. Move now.'_

Her consciousness warned as she began to internally wrestle herself. Bella was her friend! Bella smelled delicious! Bella would taste delicious! Bella looks delicious! Bella is her delicious friend! Don't eat your delicious friend! Delicious friends shouldn't be eaten! No friends should be eaten! Especially delicious friends!

…this was weird. Did friends normally do this? Bella looked about, having a serious case of shifty eyes as she questioned whether to hug back or move away slowly. No offense to her, but Bella simply was not used to physical interactions and she was pretty certain that Alice had just sniffed her. She chuckled lightly at the absurd thought, asking herself if she would be marked next.

The short laughter snapped Alice out of her Bella-scented haze, and she reluctantly peeled herself away from the warmth.

"I'm terribly sorry, Jingle Bells. I'm just so happy to see you." The joy in her black eyes betrayed the frown on her face as she looked up at her.

'Jingle Bells' brightened at her nickname, for she had forgotten about it. "Don't mention it; I'm happy to see you too. To be honest, I never thought it'd happen."

"Blunt as per usual, I see. You trample upon my feelings." The raven-haired shook her head sadly before flashing her a smile. "Come with me now!" She quickly said, changing the subject too fast for Bella to keep up as she took her hand.

Leading her past the murmuring groups of people, they snaked their way through the lunchroom. Once they got to the exit, Alice spared her family a brief glance, noting Edward's warning look, before she opened the door and dragged her friend outside.

Internally whining about not having any lunch, Bella silently followed, stumbling over a few pebbles every now and then. This seemed to amuse and worry the vampire as she took her to a clearing in the woods.

"Much more peaceful here, more privacy." She explained as she made herself comfortable at the base of a tree. The brunette she had forced there moved next to her, and leaned her head against the bark with a sigh. She was exhausted already.

"Now. I was thinking that we should travel to Seattle this weekend for shopping, because I know you hate it, and for a chance to bond more. I was going to offer a tour of Forks, but as you may have noticed, it is quite small, and a walk around the block would be the tour. So we should leave first thing in the…"

This is one of the things Bella liked about Alice. She could carry on and control a conversation. For someone like her, it was a hard thing to do, so a friend like Alice was perfect. All she really had to do was nod and respond at the appropriate times. She sat with her eyes closed and a smile on her lips as she listened to the shorter girl ramble about their trip.

"And the shop over in Fremont has the cutest dresses and-"

"Wait. Shopping?"

Alice huffed and crossed her arms, sending the girl what she thought was a scowl, but looked more like a frustrated pout. "Bella! Were you not listening at all?"

"Calm down, Princess. I was all ears."

"Then you should be well aware that we will be busy this weekend." She opened her mouth to speak more, but the bell suddenly rang, alerting students that lunch was over. Alice frowned and gave a sigh before suggesting that they return.

"If you really insist… I suppose its okay." Bella mumbled with her hands in her pockets as she tried to keep up Alice's pace. The girl turned and beamed up at her, utterly thrilled that she had agreed.

"Fantastic! It will be great, Bella. I promise."

As they entered the building, Alice was suddenly taken to the side by Einstein hair. Bella looked on with a brow raised before Edward lifted his hand to shoo her off. Did he really just-

"Go ahead, Bella. I'll catch up with you later." Her friend spoke, and she had no other choice than to listen. With teeth clenched, she nodded, and left her behind with what could have been a child molester. Then again, Alice is eighteen.

Grumbling under her breath about his funky hair, his know it all attitude, and how dare he try to shoo her away like an animal that got too close, she barged her way into Biology. Taking a seat into the far corner, she crossed her arms under her chest and gave the chalkboard a death glare. This wasn't usually how she acted… What had gotten over her?

Busy sorting her thoughts, she failed to notice when Edward Scissorhands hair waltzed into the room. But he certainly noticed her. He made a sound in his throat that sounded like a choked gasp and she looked up at him. She gave him an angry gaze, while his eyes widened in surprise. His head angled to the side, as though he couldn't believe what he was looking at. Then, without a word, he turned around, left the room, and closed the door behind him.

Okay….

"Edward? Edward Cullen!" The teacher moved to chase him, but stopped half-way, probably deciding that he didn't really care.

Cullen? Like… Alice Cullen? So that was her brother? Was he adopted or something? Honestly, how can one be related to a walking disco ball like Alice, and end up bitter and possibly schizophrenic? Because really, the way he looked at Bella, it was like she had jumped onto the desk and started doing the cancan. She shook her head at the thought. Today was really messing with her mental state of mind.

Class was spent in a haze, much like the others, as she spaced out. She had taken a course similar to this one last year, and already knew what he was teaching. No need to pay attention, then.

Slinging her backpack on one shoulder, Bella left the room with tired movements. Being the last to leave, she took her time in the halls, since it was mainly vacant. The bell for History rang, but she made no attempt to quicken her pace.

When she arrived, she merely took her seat in the back, as was becoming ritual, and told the teacher her name when roll came along.

"Mr. Cullen?"

Her eyes snapped open and she scanned the room, looking to see if the blow-dryer freak was present. He wasn't, but a blonde spoke up, telling her that he was present.

Another Cullen?

She couldn't help but wonder if she had one in all of her classes. Depending on how many siblings Alice had. She never thought to ask.

But maybe they weren't related.

The class went by quickly, as per usual, with her only answering a few questions about World War two. When she dragged herself to the exit, she was surprised to see Alice there, waiting for her.

"You have a free period now, right?"

How did she…?

"…Yeah."

"Come with me, then. I have dance class, and I would love it if you were to watch." Flashing her that charming smile of hers, Bella quickly agreed. I mean, why not?

Oh.

Hey.

Tiny Dancer.

She dances.

Who would have known?

Chuckling to herself, she allowed Alice to drag her off towards the dance room, finding herself slightly eager to watch.

* * *

Author's Notes:

Yes, the class parts are very rushed, but once things pick up pace, I'll put more detail into them. I just wanted you guys to know her school schedule and who was in what classes.


	4. IV

Author's Notes:

Allow me to explain.

The power cord to my computer snapped, and my poor laptop died.

And all of my notes for this was on Word, so I couldn't write anything without it.

Sucks big time, but I'm back.

Also had some things go down this weekend, no sexual pun intended, so it's been hard getting to this. Plus, I saw How to Train Your Dragon and just needed to write something quick about that.

Anyway, here ya go, thanks for the wait.

(Oh, and look forward to the next chapter of Shattering Sunrise. If you like this, you'll like that too.)

Disclaimer: NO YOU.

* * *

Bella never liked dancing. Just wasn't her thing, period. Walking was hard enough, as sad as that sounds. Clumsy people weren't cut out for fancy movements. And you know what? She was cool with that. So what? She doesn't need to dance; it's not a requirement for life. But when she saw Alice…

She just stopped thinking.

Only focused on that tiny body in the center of the stage, flitting about, followed by nameless others. It was, for lack of words and at the risk of sounding like an awe-struck child, magical.

Suddenly, the small girl fell to the ground, and Bella found herself suddenly standing, as if preparing to rush over to her. But apparently the trip was planned, as the spotlight fell on her. The others stupidly swayed back and forth and the brunette fought the urge to roll her eyes. Alice suddenly jumped up, in one of those ballerina type moves, you know, with the legs going in and then landing on her toes? Yeah, that. But it was more impressive than I'm making it sound. Seriously. You should've been there.

Slowly settling herself back into her seat, Bella kept her eyes trained on Alice, who continued the same movement a few times. A male dancer soon approached her, lightly dragging his feet. Bella tried her absolute best not to laugh, but had to cover her mouth with her hand. It was that other Cullen. In a leotard.

He reached out to her, and Alice jumped into his arms bridal style before tilting her head backwards and almost going limp. It was amazing. She then twirled her legs over him, and lightly slipped out of his embrace and into a split on the floor. Bella was gaping now.

Tiny dancer slid away from him, and Jasper threw his arms up in mock anger before a look of grief crossed his features. It was almost like a play. He fell to his knees, and she skipped over to him, twirling about him, her hands on his shoulders as she jumped once, her feet out and pointed.

"Cut!"

A bright grin was suddenly on her face as she wiped sweat from her brow.

"That was superb, Jazz!"

When he rose to his feet, she jumped up and draped her arms around his neck. Chuckling, he twirled her around a bit before setting her down. The sight was heartwarming and brought a smile to Bella's face as she watched on from the sidelines.

Soon Alice switched her attention to her, skipping over in her direction and gazing up at her eagerly.

"Did you like it?"

"Nah… Wasn't really my thing…"

Bella mumbled before the look on the pixie's face stopped her.

"Ah, I-I was just kidding, Alice. It was amazing!"

"Bella! You're so mean! …But thank you."

The beaming look on her face told her that everything was fine between the two of them. Which reminded her…

"Um, A-Alice?"

"Yeeees, Bella?"

The little girl swayed from side to side a bit, seeming to be quite anxious about whatever Bella wanted to tell her. She was very drawn to her. Always had been, right from the start. Anything she had to say, Alice was all ears.

"Do you wanna uh… Hang out… at my place… and stuff?"

The girl opened her mouth to reply before her brows knitted close together and her face scrunched up in concentration. She then seemed to… zone out. Like she was looking at something far away, but at the same time, right in front of her. All Bella could really do about it was quirk a brow at her.

All too soon, she shook her head from side to side and flashed her an apologetic smile.

"Sorry, that happens sometimes. Also, I'm afraid I can't. Some family business, you know?"

Before Bella could give her some kind of pathetic reply, Jasper appeared behind her and placed his hand tenderly on her shoulder.

"We need to go."

"Ah, I'll ah… Catch up with you later, okay?"

Feeling a little nervous around the blonde, she quickly left the room. Besides, she didn't have to stick around, right? Might as well go home. Alone.

Once outside of the school, she ran her hand through her long brown hair with a groan before taking out her cell phone and dialing Charlie's number.

"Dad, I need a ride again… Yeah…"

. . . . . . .

"Alice, is this true? You have relations with a human?"

Chewing on her lower lip and keeping her golden gaze everywhere but on Carlisle, she nodded once.

"But… That's always been a rule. Why would you disobey it? Don't worry, I'm not upset; I just want to know your reasons behind it."

Slowly looking up at him, and ignoring Edward and Rosalie's glares, she confessed.

"To be honest, I was originally only her friend online. I found out that she was moving here just yesterday. And I was not going to simply ditch her once she arrived."

She spoke with new conviction. That wasn't in her nature, she would never do that to someone, vampire or not.

"She is a danger to this family!"

Edward finally spoke up, his eyes boring into Alice's own. The intensity caused her to flinch back in surprise and mentally ask him what was wrong and why he was venting out on her.

"I cannot read her."

He spoke through clenched teeth and a collective gasp filled the room.

"Who knows what she could be up to, or what she could be capable of."

Edward Scis- …Cullen, elaborated, waving his hand about angrily to prove his point.

"Don't accuse her of anything, Edward! You don't even know her!"

"And how could I? No one can even stand next to her with that stench!"

A spiteful smirk spread across her usual happy face, causing Edward to regard her strangely, for he had never seen such a look coming from her before.

"You make it seem like you don't enjoy her scent. It's intoxicating, and you know it. What's more, you won't ever have the chance to get close enough to truly appreciate it. It doesn't take a mind reader to know that she isn't very fond of you."

After her words, she herself blinked in astonishment. Did she really just say that? What had gotten over her? In fact, she was pretty sure she was emitting a low growl the whole time.

"I'm terribly sorry…" She mumbled in a low voice, her head hung low in shame.

"I think we all need some time to cool down. We'll continue this later as a family. For now, Alice, will you please join me in my study?"

Ah… She knew what this meant. Here comes a fatherly speech. She simply stood and followed him wordlessly. Things will be fine. Things were always fine in her future. Maybe not always at first, but she had the ability to change it.

. . . . . . .

He inhaled deeply.

Mm, she was right.

Her scent is intoxicating.

But he was close enough to fully enjoy it now.

Edward stood in the far corner of Bella's room, watching her peacefully sleep. The sight was soothing, or at least, it would be to most. But a primal instinct emerged within him, and he found himself crawling on top of her bed. He glared down at her innocent form, an animalistic growl rumbling from his chest.

…Ugh… what…?

Brown eyes sleepily looked up to see a panting, growling creature on top of her, regarding her as though she were a slab of meat. And well, Bella did what was only natural. She screamed bloody murder.

It took Charlie less than a minute to barge into her room, looking quite jolted. Bella was wide eyed and sitting up, her frame shaking lightly as she searched for the monster to no avail.

"Bells? Bells, what happened? A bad dream?"

"N-no! I know what I saw! I-it wasn't a dream! There… there was…"

A sob caught in her throat, and she balled the sheets tightly in her fists. Damn. She was scared. Scared shitless. Not a normal fear, no. But one that wracked her entire being. Something inside of her knew that whatever that was, was an enemy. One that she was too weak to face.

"Bells, what are you-"

Her father was immediately interrupted by the sound of their doorbell. His features took on a look of confusion as he glanced at her alarm clock. 1:57.

"Who? What the hell is going on here?"

He grumbled, mostly to himself, as he dragged his feet down the stairs. This was not a good morning, and he knew that it would end up effecting his entire day.

Opening the door, he was met with a short girl who looked as though she could be in middle school, with a yellow backpack slung over her shoulder, peering up at him with the eyes of a naive child.

"Hello there! I'm Alice Cullen, a friend of Bella's. I was supposed to be staying here tonight…?"

"Um… Are you sure you have the right house?"

"Absolutely positive! May I come in?"

Her sweet charms effectively won him over as he stepped aside after giving her a wary look.

"I'm sorry for the time of day. My mother is such a worrywart." She laughed as she began to spin a false tale of her mother's antics.

Charlie merely nodded sleepily as he made his way back up the stairs.

"Room on the right. Don't make too much noise."

"Of course not, sir!"

Approaching the light blue colored door, she knocked twice before opening it. Bella looked frightened out of her mind, and it hurt her a little. Her teeth held her lip firmly and her eyes were panicked. Damn Edward.

"Oh Bella…"

She spoke loud enough for her to hear, but quite enough as not to alert Charlie. Softly making her way over to her, she gestured to the bed.

"May I?"

"Alice… I… Y-yeah…"

Sliding into the sheets with her, she opened her arms with a short smile.

"C'mere, you."

Holding back a relieved chuckle, Bella crawled into the protection of her embrace, snuggling against her small body.

"We're okay. I'm here for you, Jingle Bells."

She whispered against her hair, nuzzling her nose against the silken locks. Rocking them lightly, she waited for Bella's breath to even out before lifting her head shockingly fast and glaring at the other side of the room.

A foot emerged, followed by another, showing a man's tall frame, his hands at his sides almost robotically. He stared at Alice as though she had lost it.

Before either of them could register her action, she bared her fangs at him and hissed, her grip tightening on Bella.

They looked at each other carefully, neither speaking nor communicating through their minds. Within seconds, he turned, and was gone.

Feral look still on her face, Alice watched the window, as though he would come back, all the while holding Bella against her chest, and listening to her heart beat.

* * *

Author's Notes:

8D Like it?

-is secretly review whoring by showing a little leg-


	5. V

Author's Notes:

…you mean to tell me that showing some skin actually does cause more reviews?  
Oh yeah, I'm using this.

Quick update.

Aren't you guys proud? 8'D

Oh yes, and about the whole "Charlie letting her in during the wee hours of the morning thing". Honestly, I just wanted to get the lil girl in there. Didn't care how that went about. But for now, I'll blame that on the time of day and Alice's charms at getting people to do practically whatever she wants.

Disclaimer/to Raving through life: UH NO YOU. FFFFFFFFF. FFF. F.

* * *

Bella was never one for sleepovers. Sure, she never had any real friends, but she had been to a few little parties throughout her life. You know, the kind that your mom sets up for you with some pathetic excuse? Yeah those.

But when she woke up that morning alone, when she knew that she had a guest at one point in the night, she couldn't help but feel sad. Lonely, in fact.

Whatever. She shouldn't have let Alice in in the first place. Seriously. That was stupid. What the hell was she thinking? Better yet, why did Alice come anyway?

Her mind was going off on an unpleasant rant until she heard a crashing noise, followed by the smoke alarm. Quickly sitting up in bed, she stared outside her bedroom door, trying to process everything. Her eyes then drifted over to the clock sitting on her dresser. 9:52. There's no way Charlie would be home.

Oh god, there's a crazy ass arsonist in the house.

Quick, Bella! Get a bucket of water and a bat! You will not go down without a fight! Forget the fact that you've never been trained for anything like this or that you're the definition of clumsiness! You can do this! We believe in you!

With a distinctly panicked look on her face, Bella scrambled out of bed, tossing the sheets in every which way. But of course, her toes got caught in one of them as she moved to escape, and she ended up doing an odd flailing movement in the air in an attempt to regain her balance. Shaking her foot twice, she untangled it, and went on her way.

Once out the door, with ragged breath, she stood flat against the wall. Peering down the staircase, she could see the smog begin to fill the air. Making a whining noise at the problem, she slowly inched over to the bathroom, one foot after another and looking behind her every other step.

Turning on the faucet, on low of course, she filled up the closest thing she could find. A spit cup. You know, those little plastic ones you swish the toothpaste with and or gargle? Yeah those. Once it was filled to the brim, she made her way to the stairs, going down them one step at a time, her heart hammering in her chest.

After that little voyage, she reached for an umbrella by the door. That'll have to do.

Alright Bella, you're doing fine so far. The water is still intact and you haven't killed yourself rolling down the stairs. Double high five over here! Okay. Seriously though, let's follow that smoke.

Apparently, it led to the kitchen. That's…weird. But whatever, she's never been an arsonist before, she doesn't know the rules.

As she crept into the small cooking space, she saw the intruder's figure amongst the smog. Freaking out, she ended up sucking in a huge breath and coughing it all out. The stranger slowly turned, and Bella did all she could. She threw the water at them. With a battle cry too. Well actually, it was more of a strangled scream. Same thing.

As the intruder let out a girly shriek, Bella fumbled with the strap on the umbrella as she recited her plan in her head. Open it, swing, run. Open, swing, run. Open, swing, run. Oh, and call the cops. Open, swing, run, 911. Open, swing, run, 911.

Trying her hardest to undo the Velcro strap, and chewing on her lip in frustration, she failed to notice the smoke clearing. Apparently the ceiling fan had been turned on. She almost had it until a hand touched her shoulder and she jumped, effectively dropping it.

"Bella! What are you doing?"

That voice…

Alice.

Oh wait.

Small figure in the smoke.

Girly scream.

Tiny hand on her shoulder.

Ohhh…

"Alice! Oh jeez, I-I'm sorry. You must be all wet."

Now that she got a good look at her, she realized that she had better aim than she thought. Alice's hair was drenched, and she looked distinctly like a wet cat. A drop of water slid down her nose, and the little pixie went cross-eyed watching it. It was too cute.

"I'm fine, Jingle Bells. Don't worry about it."

"W-wait here, I'll get a towel!"

Ignoring her, she ran off towards the closet. Opening the door, she reached into the dark room and grabbed whatever cloth she could fine. Luckily, it was a blue towel.

"Here."

She moved to give it to her, but decided against that, and instead dried her off herself. It was the least she could do, right? Tiny Dancer closed her eyes as Bella lightly trailed the towel down the side of her face, moving towards her neck, then back up again.

As she did this, she couldn't help but blush. Must be her nerves again.

"There. All done."

Bella mumbled as she looked away. Exactly… what was Alice doing in here again?

"Oh, I was uh…"

For a second there, she looked kind of embarrassed. Alice? Embarrassed? Hah.

"I was trying to cook you breakfast. Emphasis on the trying part…"

The small girl was looking down, rubbing her ankle against the other one nervously. Bella never thought it was possible for someone to be both anxious and cute. But here she stands corrected.

"Have you ah, never cooked before?"

As they spoke, Alice led them to the stove, and lifted the frying pan, which had one… Er… Black… Frisbee? Wait no; I think that's a pancake.

"This isn't right, is it?"

Well that answers Bella's question.

"Not at all."

She couldn't help but laugh. Alice, who was good at pretty much everything, could not cook. At all. She could probably burn _water_.

"Here, I'll cook."

She said with a chuckle as she lightly took the pan from Alice and walked over the trashcan, sliding the monstrosity inside.

"What'll you have?"

"Oh, I don't eat breakfast."

"Mm, okay."

As Bella cooked some scrambled eggs, she could feel those golden eyes on her. It was mildly unsettling. But in a good way. Like, when you know your birthday present is in the closet, but you can't go near it.

"Um… Isn't… today Tuesday?"

Conversation, yes, let's start some.

"Yup!"

Alice answered easily, swinging her feet as she sat at the table.

"…So what about school?"

"Oh yes! I had Charlie call and tell them you were sick."

"You... met Charlie?"

"Mmhmm!"

She nodded, as though that were simple.

"And he's okay with you?"

"Why wouldn't he be?"

"He's just…weird…like that."

She mumbled as she prodded the eggs with a spatula.

"Must be genetic."

Alice teased with a wink, and then a giggle as she heard Bella grumble.

"So."

She started as she set the plate of food down at the empty seat in front of Alice.

"Are we just gonna hang out today or something?"

"If you'll have me!"

. . . . . . . . .

The whole day went by in a fun haze. They mainly sat in front of the TV, half watching, and half idly chit-chatting. It was new for Bella, but she had fun.

When Charlie arrived, the two greeted him and retreated into the kitchen to prepare dinner as he turned on the Seahawks game. Alice helped, her eyes wide in curiosity as she nodded after each of Bella's commands, eagerly doing as she was told.

Once the spaghetti was prepared, two stomachs growling, one from skipping lunch with Alice, they all settled down at the table.

"So ah, Alice was it?"

"Yes sir!"

"You're the Cullen's daughter, right?"

Charlie spoke between bites, not entirely paying attention to the conversation, and more on the game blaring from the living room.

"That I am!"

"Mmm."

"Not hungry, Alice?"

Bella looked at her with slight concern. She hadn't eaten at all today.

"Oh, I…"

She looked down, a sad quality overshadowing her features.

"I have an eating disorder. I don't usually talk about it, so…"

An…eating disorder? Does Alice think she's overweight or something? That's… um…

"I-It's okay, sorry for pressuring you."

Bella quickly replied, not wanting Alice to get uncomfortable. She was not going to ruin everything so early.

After they had cleaned up the kitchen, they made their way up to Bella's room, where Alice got into the habit of looking through everything. Sharing a few laughs, and playful warnings, they made themselves comfortable on her bed, where Bella explained what had happened the night before.

"It was the freakiest thing… I swear, it was not a dream."

"Its okay, Bella. I may not look it, but I'm pretty vicious."

Alice gave a playful growl, snapping her teeth at her.

"I can protect you easily!"

Oh the secret irony.

"So um… W-would you mind if…"

"I spend the night again?"

"Y-yeah…"

"I'd love to!"

Throwing her arms around the brunette and pulling her close, Alice snuggled up against her. Instinctively, she inhaled her scent, the smell almost driving her mad. She started to shiver lightly, which she soon brushed off as just being cold to her human companion.

"Go to sleep, Bella."

Her voice was a hushed whisper, and she doubted she could hear it. But sure enough, Bella's breathing slowed into a rhythmic pace. Just as she herself began to drift into a meditated state, a vision took control.

But this was unlike most visions. It was choppy, and she only saw flashes of images, and nothing more.

A tan skinned boy with long hair pulling her into a hug and giving her a noogie. All three of them playing video games. Motorcycles. The boundary line. Water. Fighting. Screaming.

Alice fell out of it with a jolt, her eyes wide in fear.

What is going on?

* * *

Author's Notes:

-wind goes by, holds down the edges of my skirt-

Oh my! I sure hope the massive amount of future reviews doesn't blow my delicate little skirt away, revealing some of my well toned body! Oh my!

-talks in an innocent voice and bats eyelashes at-


	6. VI

Author's Notes:

OH GEEBUS, FOREVER WAIT.

To Anonymous Kayla/ anyone else:

Aww seriously? They're OOC? Well damn. Not that I'm surprised, really. I haven't read/watched Twilight in years; I was just waiting for someone to say they're off so I can actually do a little research. XD So thanks. Glad you're laughing, I aim for that. Oh, and as for the lack of romance… Yeah well, I don't believe in sudden love. In most fics, it's just randomly "OMG ALICE IS MY EVERYTHING NOW." And "BELLA I'VE ALWAYS WANTED YOU BUT I'M JUST NOW SAYING IT IN THIS CHAPTER. COME, LET'S HAVE AWKWARD BUT APPEALING SEX." I'm really trying to stay clear from that, so I want their feelings to advance slowly.

And look forward to more interesting Author's Notes; I don't plan on ending them.

Mini Summary: The Cullen's like her, they really like her! OMG!

Disclaimer: NO YOU

* * *

You know what?

Bella could really get used to waking up next to Alice. It was kinda nice to just have someone there. Bella scooted closer to her, trying to get even more comfortable. She smelt good. For some reason, she couldn't quite pinpoint exactly what she smelt like. Then again, she wasn't very familiar with perfumes and the like. All she knew was that it was really good. Dare she say irresistible?

And even though her body was freezing, she just… couldn't stay away. Especially when Alice was softly caressing her back like that in that gentle sweeping motion. Yup, she would have no problem waking up to Alice every day-

Err. That ah… That could be easily misconstrued. T-that's not what she meant… Um. Like. Ah. You know. A uh… Sleepover kind of thing. Not… Yeah. Just… Forget that.

Alice had to agree. This was very nice. Very, very nice. Bella's scent was even stronger when up close, particularly when they were making contact. She couldn't lie, it excited her. Unlike her brother, she didn't look at things objectively. There was no monster side of her. Her point of view is mainly due to the fact that she was unable to remember what it was like as a human. Being a vampire was all that she was, therefore, she saw nothing wrong with it, besides the whole human slaughter thing.

Ohhh…

Her fangs were throbbing when Bella shifted against her, moving even closer. The sensation was utterly delightful, and she got the urge to gently rub them against her neck. Not pierce the skin, no, she knew better than that. She just wanted to feel her pulse moving underneath her teeth. That soft thump enticing her to…

But for now, this, just stroking her back, would have to be enough. She was her friend, and she would be here for her. Not eat her, not lust for her blood, none of that. Alice would have only the purest of intentions, she told herself as brown eyes peeked up at her.

How did she not notice she was awake? Surely she would have been able to detect the change in her breathing pattern…

"Good morning, Sunshine!"

God, if it was anyone else who greeted her like that, she would probably be very pissed off. Would she do anything about it? Probably not. But still. Don't judge. (Haters gonna hate)

Alice on the other hand…

That was fine.

"Morning Bella… Alice."

Charlie mumbled as he walked into the room, scanning it, and their positions with a confused look. Bella was practically on top of the poor girl, who was sitting up quite effortlessly. …Okay. Uh, why had he let her in again..? To be honest, he didn't remember any of it. He just recalled seeing her at the door, thinking 'come back another time', but then stepping aside and letting her in. Weird.

Oh poor Charlie. Alice could tell by the look on his face that he was wondering how he had let her in. Simple. Vampiric charm is all. It doesn't take much to get humans to do what they want. How else can they get unsuspecting people to follow them into dark alleyways? Doesn't work on animals though. It's quite bothersome…

"Morning Dad."

Bella mumbled before realizing where she was and quickly leaving Alice's embrace. How embarrassing!

"Pack it up girls, you'll be late."

Feeling a little weird about being in a room with two teenage girls, one he hardly knew at all, he decided to simply leave. Charlie was not going to deal with them. Oh no sir.

"Pack it… School! Oh!"

Alice couldn't help but giggle at her.

"We usually go to it during the weekdays, you know."

There she goes again with her playful teasing.

"I know, I just… I thought it was the weekend, since I didn't go yesterday."

So after some friendly banter, Alice left the room for Bella to get dressed on her own, despite how much she wanted to tease the girl in the process. Do you have any idea how much fun that would be? To just up and say something like "Silly Bella, that doesn't match at all" just to get a rise out of her and snicker behind her hand… For a 109 (or was it 107? 108? Don't blame her, she's been around forever) year old, she had to admit, it was fun. Though childish. Who cares? She's 19, damnit. Well… to most.

Gracefully gliding down the steps like a primped cat, she made her way to the living room, thinking that Charlie just might fancy some company.

"It's the Charleston!"

She declared as she skipped into the room, unable to help herself. She knew they weren't close enough for nicknames, but she was young and playful, and he could wave it off as girly teenage tendencies.

"…the… Charleston?"

…that was a dance, right?

"Yup! That's you! Catchy, right?"

"I uh… I guess."

He mumbled, truly not knowing what to do about this. He, a forty-seven year old grown man, was given a name based on an old dance move by the Pixie Stick. A smile tugged on his lips (not the creeper kind, mind you) at his own secret nickname for her. Fitting, no?

"So, what can I get for you?" She spoke as though she were his maid or something. No, more like a butler. A chef? Whatever. She was asking him in that polite manner that made it seem like he was of a higher class and or standing.

But the Charleston had heard all about her failed attempts at cooking, and while yesterday's dinner turned out well, he would bet the biggest fish he ever caught that it was only because Bella had helped her. So he'd rather not develop food poisoning this morning, thank you.

"I'm fine with coffee."

Nice move, my man. You don't need a wailing teenager in your house so early. Or at all. He had to fight a shiver. That would be terrible. But unbeknownst to him, Alice couldn't cry. But that didn't mean that she didn't have eye drops on person…

"Oh. Alright!"

She could live with that. No messes meant that Bella wouldn't get upset with her. Can't have your only friend angry with you, can you?

So she took to pacing. She figured that Bella would wear something like a plain hoodie and jeans, but honestly, it shouldn't take this long. And she was used to waiting!

Just as she was about to pester Charlie, who was about to groan from all of the pacing, Bella appeared at the base of the stairs, a look on her face that said that she had a hard time making it down them.

"Well there you are slowpoke!"

Alice quickly grabbed Jingle Bells' wrist and pulled her towards the door.

"Catch you later, Charleston!"

"Bye Charlie…"

"Uh... Yeah!"

. . . . . . .

Oh dear lord.

She's gonna throw up.

All over her pants, all over the seat, just everywhere.

Keep swallowing, you'll be fine.

Breathe.

Don't look out the window; the trees are moving too fast.

Alice looked away from the road for a second.

Bella was clutching the seatbelt so tight that she could see the white in her knuckles. (lol, not like she wasn't pale enough already)

..Maybe she should ease up on the gas.

A bit.

"Bella?"

Said brunette turned to face her quickly, panic in her eyes.

"Yes!"

"…you okay?"

"You're ah, going a little…fast."

Was she?

"The… speed limit is 45."

She reminded her.

Oh.

She was going… 120.

Oh.

Aha…

Humans and their low tolerance for speed.

Such silly creatures.

By the time she was slowing down, the school was in sight, so it was all good.

It took some effort to pry Bella out of the seat though.

. . . . . . .

After parting with Alice, she dragged herself over to math class. Once again, that's an omen.

When she entered the room, strangely, there was someone in her seat. If that was a person. He kinda looked like a transformer.

"Uh…?"

Was all she could force out as she tentatively approached him.

He looked down at her, practically beaming like she was the sunshine of his life. He had this huge idiotic grin on his face and was just too damn happy to see her. She flinched in surprise.

"Bella!"

And with that, he swooped her off of her feet and into a spine crushing hug. Now she was really confused. And possibly paralyzed.

After he sat her down in the seat next to him, he extended his giant paw of a hand.

"I'm Emmett Cullen!"

Uh…

"I'm-"

"I know! Alice's friend!"

She has a name too! Just like a puppy!

"Right."

She tried to somewhat ignore him, but it was hard. He was still smiling at her. And he seemed genuinely nice too. It's nearly impossible to be mean to people who are sincere!

"I like fighting, and video games, and action movies and…"

Let me guess? Long walks on the beach?

"Mr. Cullen, class has started."

The teacher hissed, and just like that, the transformer was quiet.

Bella tried, really, she did, to pay attention, but Emmett kept on talking whenever he had the chance. He was almost as bad as Alice, who would write notes. But she had to admit, he had his charm. He was likeable. Possible friend? Now that's going a little far.

. . . . . . .

P.E started pretty damn fast, to her disappointment. But luckily, she was able to talk her way into sitting out for today. She had never been so happy to sit on the bleachers. Once happily seated, she took out her copy of Wuthering Heights and began reading.

…

What the hell?

…

Bella shoved her hand into her pocket, fishing out her phone.

1 New Message.

You don't say?

Sliding the keyboard out, she began to read it.

_Bella~ I'm bored!_

_-Alice_

Okay, she smiled. She couldn't help it. And secretly, she was a little thankful. She had nothing better to do.

_Aren't you in class?_

She quickly typed out, hiding her phone in her book. There. Send.

She was just putting the phone away when it vibrated again.

_Yes! And aren't you in P.E?_

How did she?

…_yeah. How did you know that?_

A few seconds later, another message came. Damn, she's fast.

_I nabbed your schedule when you weren't looking, silly Bella._

That little minx.

Bella had to roll her eyes.

_Of course you did._

That didn't surprise her at all.

_And what is that supposed to mean?_

Don't you laugh, Bella. You'll get caught.

_Oh nothing._

As much as she wanted to continue this intriguing conversation, the P.E teacher kept giving her looks, so she decided that she was better off reading. Her book, mind you. Not texts. Sending Alice one last message, she glanced at the clock and braced herself for another 40 minutes of nothingness.

. . . . . . .

But of course, when she got to English, things had to become complicated. There was Aphrodite again. And it looks like she wanted to talk.

Oh fuck.

Did she see Emmett hug her?

Okay, she was shaking a little. She didn't want to get yelled at. But damnit, she would stand her ground!

"Hey you."

Rosalie made that fetching hand motion, telling her to drag her ass over there.

Pronto.

"Look, I was just being polite and I didn't want to hurt his feelings!"

Oops.

"What the hell are you talking about."

Wasn't a question.

Bella gulped.

Something about the way this girl talked was just… deadly.

"S-sorry I... Word vomit."

She said nervously as she took her seat next to her, trying desperately not to make eye contact.

"Right. First, look at me when I'm talking to you. You're talking to Rosalie Hale, not one of your little friends. Next, I want you to tell me what your relationship with my sister is."

Is this what all friends must go through?

Preliminary rounds with the family?

Good god.

"We're just friends. We've been friends for a while actually."

She spoke somewhat calmly, her eyes meeting those striking golden ones.

Rosalie stared at her for a long moment before her features softened to some degree.

"Fine. Join us for lunch today."

Again. What the hell is going on?

* * *

Author's Notes:

Oh. Hello there.

-lays down on beach towel and takes off bikini top from the back-

Care to put some suntan lotion on me?

I hear you have good fingers…

You know, from all of that reviewing you do.

That's impressive.

I like that.

;D


End file.
